Eugene Valentino Cherico (April 15, 1935, Buffalo, New York – August 12, 1994,

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

, California) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

double-bassist. Cherico played drums as a child and played in a special services band in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, but injured his hand and picked up double bass as therapy. He attended the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

, where he met

Toshiko Akiyoshi is a Japanese–American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. ...

, with whom he would tour and record intermittently for many years. He also worked as a sideman with

Herb Pomeroy Irving Herbert Pomeroy III (April 15, 1930 – August 11, 2007) was an American jazz trumpeter, teacher, and the founder of the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble. Early life Pomeroy was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States. He began playing ...

(1957–59),

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

(1959–60),

Red Norvo Red Norvo (born Kenneth Norville; March 31, 1908 – April 6, 1999) was an American musician, one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone as jazz instruments. His reco ...

(1961),

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

(1962),

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 t ...

(1963),

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

(1964–66), and

Peter Nero Peter Nero (born Bernard Nierow, May 22, 1934) is an American pianist and pops conductor. He directed the Philly Pops from 1979 to 2013, and has earned two Grammy Awards. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, as Bernard Nierow, he started ...

(1966–70). He also recorded with

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be he ...

and

Joe Morello Joseph Albert Morello (July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011) was an American jazz drummer best known for serving as the drummer for pianist Dave Brubeck, as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from 1957 to 1972, including during the quartet's "classic ...

in 1961 and with

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, " ...

in 1961 and 1963. Cherico spent much of the 1970s as a studio musician, working with

Frank Strazzeri Frank Strazzeri (April 24, 1930 – May 9, 2014) was an American jazz pianist. Career Strazzeri began on tenor saxophone and clarinet at age 12, then switched to piano soon after. He attended the Eastman School of Music, then took a job as a hou ...

(1973, 1975),

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

Lew Tabackin Lewis Barry Tabackin (born March 26, 1940) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. He is married to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he has co-led large ensembles since the 1970s. Biography Tabackin started learning flute at age 1 ...

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

(1974), and Akiyoshi playing mostly

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

. He also did work as an accompanist to singers such as

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

(1966),

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

(1970),

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

(1973-1982), and Nancy Wilson. He toured extensively with Sinatra into the next decade. He retired in 1984 after being diagnosed with

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredness. ...

Discography

With

* ''

Toshiko and Leon Sash at Newport ''Toshiko and Leon Sash at Newport'' is a live album recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 and released on the Verve record label. All 4 Toshiko Akiyoshi tracks are also included on some later re-issues of the Norgran (Verve) recording ...

'' (Verve, 1958) * '' Long Yellow Road'' (Asahi, 1961) * '' Live at Birdland'' (Fresh Sound, 1961) * '' The Toshiko – Mariano Quartet'' with

Charlie Mariano Carmine Ugo Mariano (November 12, 1923 – June 16, 2009) was an American jazz saxophonist who focused on the alto and soprano saxophone. He occasionally performed and recorded on flute and nadaswaram as well. Biography Mariano was born in ...

(Candid, 1961) * '' Toshiko – Mariano Quartet (in West Side)'' with Charlie Mariano (Takt, 1963) * ''

Kogun ' is the first album recorded by the Los Angeles-based Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band. It was released in Japan by Victor in 1974 and received the Swing Journal Silver Disk prize for that year. It was later released on RCA Victor ...

'' (RCA, 1974) * '' Long Yellow Road'' (RCA, 1975) * ''

The Many Sides of Toshiko ''The Many Sides of Toshiko'' is a jazz piano trio album by Toshiko Akiyoshi, recorded in New York in 1957 and released on the Verve label. Track listing LP side A #" The Man I Love" ( G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 5:27 #"Minor Moods" ("Midnig ...

'' (Verve, 1975) * '' Dedications'' (Discomate, 1976) * '' East and West'' with Charlie Mariano (RCA, 1977) * '' Notorious Tourist from the East'' (Inner City, 1978) * ''Toshiko Plays Toshiko'' (Discomate, 1979) * '' Just Be Bop'' (Discomate, 1980) * '' Toshiko Akiyoshi Trio'' (Eastworld, 1983) With

* '' Desmond Blue'' (RCA Victor, 1962) * '' Take Ten'' (RCA Victor, 1963) * ''Glad to Be Unhappy'' (RCA Victor, 1965) * '' Easy Living'' (RCA Victor, 1966) * ''Late Lament'' (RCA, 1974) With

* ''Getz Au Go Go'' (Verve, 1964) * ''Getz/Gilberto #2'' (Verve, 1965) * ''The Girl from Ipanema'' (Polydor, 1966) * ''Stan Getz'' (Verve, 1987) * ''Stan Getz & Friends'' (Verve, 1988) * ''Joao & Astrud Gilberto Meet Stan Getz'' (The Entertainers 1988) * ''Nobody Else But Me'' (Verve, 1994) * ''Live at Newport 1964'' (Solitude, 2014) * ''Getz Plays Jobim: The Girl from Ipanema'' (Verve, 2002) * ''Body and Soul'' (Verve/Universal, 2006) * ''The Brilliant Canadian Concert of Stan Getz'' (Can-Am, 2008) With

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema". Biography Astrud Gilbert ...

* ''Brazilian Mood'' (Metro, 1977) * ''Astrud Gilberto'' (Verve, 1987) * ''The Astrud Gilberto Album'' (Jazz Door, 1991) * ''Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour'' (Verve, 2001) * ''Astrud for Lovers'' (Verve, 2004) With

* ''Out of the Woods'' (Capitol, 1964) * '' Rare Form!'' (Capitol, 1966) With

* ''She Shot Me Down'' (Reprise, 1981) * '' L.A. Is My Lady'' (Qwest, 1984) * '' Sinatra: Vegas'' (Reprise, 2006) * '' Sinatra: New York'' (Reprise, 2009) With

* ''Taurus'' (Revelation, 1973) * ''Frames'' (Glendale, 1975) With others *

, ''Louie Rides Again!'' (Percussion Power, 1974) * Roy Burns, ''Big, Bad & Beautiful'' (FPM, 1973) *

, '' New Vibe Man in Town'' (RCA Victor, 1962) *

Irving Cottler Irving Cottler (February 13, 1918 – August 8, 1989), Hollywood, Los Angeles based musician was a first-call Drummer / percussionist and original member of The Wrecking Crew. Cottler credits include LOVE, Impossible, Stardust and Unforgetta ...

, ''I've Got You Under My Skins'' (Project 3, 1982) *

, ''Maynard Ferguson Plays Jazz for Dancing'' (Roulette, 1986) *

, ''Nero: Fantasy and Improvisations, Gershwin: Concerto in F'' (RCA, 1968) *

, ''Vibes a La Red'' (Famous Door, 2003) * Bill Perkins, ''Remembrance of Dino's'' (Interplay, 1989) *

Sylvia Syms Sylvia May Laura Syms (born 6 January 1934) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957), ''Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958), ''No Trees in the Street'' (1959), ''Victim'' (1961), and ''The Tamari ...

, ''Syms by Sinatra'' (Reprise, 1982)

References

*Rhyan/Kernfeld, "Gene Cherico". '' Grove Jazz'' online. *

NY Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

obituary An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...

, 1994 August 17,
link
. Accessed 2008 July 14. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cherico, Gene 1935 births 1994 deaths American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists Musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American musicians 20th-century double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians